Friday, October 27, 2006

Classic fiction for preteens and young teens

My daughter is in fifth grade but supposedly reads at the eighth-grade level. Some teachers say it is hard to find fiction that is content-appropriate for younger readers who are able to read above their expected age and grade. Recently I have been trying to supply my daughter with some classic and/or older (pre-1960s), best-loved novels to read in place of the too-easy, age-inappropriate, or scuzzy "contemporary" novels supplied by teachers or libraries (see my earlier rant here).

Here is the start of my list, which I thought I'd share with you. The Accelerated Reading level of each book (roughly corresponding to grades in school, but you need to take them with a skeptical grain of salt) is included in parentheses, where known. My list offers a wide range of reading levels from which to choose for both boys and girls.

Happily, my daughter is eager to light into this list, as she is already familiar with the film versions* of several of these stories, and is willing to be steered toward better books and challenging vocabulary. (She is amazed and delighted, for example, to learn that the book version of The Wizard of Oz is so very different from the beloved Judy Garland movie, and can't wait to see what L. Frank Baum will reveal next!) Many of these classics can be purchased new for around $4 in paperback; some you can find for very low prices in used book or antique stores. Surprisingly, almost all of these books on my list below are in my daughter's elementary school library. Perhaps the teachers and librarians who say it is hard to find appropriate literature for advanced younger readers have forgotten these old chesnuts still exist.

Beware that some book publishers try to pawn off abridged, dumbed-down, or excerpted versions of older classics without being very clear about it. Hold out for the unabridged, original versions--the real thing--good literature and entertaining, challenging, educational reads. Reading aloud to children from challenging books is a great way to acclimate them to tackling such books on their own.

Of course, a kid diving into some of these older books needs someone to chat with about unfamiliar words, outmoded practices, different places and cultures of olden times, and background contexts for the new ideas he or she will learn that won't be covered in the school classroom setting. A parent or grandparent, aunt or uncle (with or without a teaching credential) usually works just fine in this role.

Do you have any other good classics to suggest for preteens and younger teenagers? Please add them in the comments below.

My links here to Amazon.com editions are for further informational purposes only; purchase these linked editions at your own risk....

I also like the Lemony Snicket and Harry Potter books, but they are too recent to be called "classic children's literature" yet--though I think they will eventually make the pantheon. Some of my suggestions here you may feel are hopelessly outmoded, insufferably irrelevant, downright sappy, or lacking literary heft. You may have a point on a few of these, but remember, it is not an adult, but a child who is reading these books for the first time, with fresh eyes. Acknowledging this, do feel free to comment and suggest better titles.

I must say, putting this list together makes me long to curl up with a good book!

I agree about classic lit for preteens. In the seventh grade, I read the entire series of Oz books and LOVED them. Well, okay, that was 1963! My kids (around 5th and 7th grade) loved having the original "Heidi" read to them -- we were all surprised how different it is from the shortened versions and the movies. Thanks for your list! Tassy in Texas

Hello:What about anything by E. Nesbit like the fabulous 5 Children and It or The Phoenix and the Carpet?? All my precocious readers have loved them. Also I never see the Freddy the Pig series by Walter Brooks on any lists....wonderful life lessons artfully tucked into amusing stories featuring Freddy the poet, detective and adventurer who readily admits his flaws.

We might be from the same planet. Thanks for this list. I fit your description but just a few years older. I write a column for the Washington Times called Truth be Told if you feel like checking it out.

My 10 year old is so burnt out on the school library, which is devoid of any classic.

Oh, I remember my third-grade teacher reading us The Boxcar Children and how I loved it! I had forgotten that book. The original is still available:http://www.amazon.com/Boxcar-Children-No-Mysteries/dp/0807508527/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1301846823&sr=8-1

I also suggest the Lord of the Rings or the Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. I has looked at the Young Adult section in my library and less than 20% doesn't contain adult content or demons,zombies, etc. A member of our family is at the age (13) where these things become a problem but he is even worse off than your daughter as he has a collage level reading level and burns through books. He is simply appalled at the state of all books written from Harry Potter onwards with some exceptions. Thanks for the help.

Thank you SO much for this excellent list of books. My daughter is 10 and a gifted reader. Although this year her scores dropped in reading comprehension and I feel it's because of the lack of current decent literature. We can't go to the bookstore because books like Dear Dumb Diary and Diary of a Wimpy Kid are prominently displayed and marketed to the hilt while the good literature is hidden in the cracks. We are going to a Library Book Sale and I set out to research classics books for preteens and voila I find your blog and my job is done. Thank you again.

Another good classic is THE YEARLING by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. http://www.amazon.com/Yearling-Aladdin-Classics-Patricia-Reilly/dp/0689846231/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1398084371&sr=1-1&keywords=the+yearling

Other great books are Swiss Family Robinson (I was fascinated by their innovation through the whole book as a child), and The Rescuers (original story). Almost anything illustrated by Garth Williams is wonderful (he illustrated a Cricket in Times Square, the Laura Ingalls Wilder books, and many others).

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About Me

50-something American baby-boomer, raised not to make waves over politics or religion, crawls out of the closet as a conservative/libertarian curmudgeon...ready to rant and exercise my rights as protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution--because I can, baby.
Is this a great country or what!?